Podcasts

Interview with Alejandro Olayo Mendez

1. Can you tell me about the field of undocumented migration that you are researching?

2. What types of social pain are your encountering?

3. What about hospitality and care for the migrants ?

4. What methods are you using to follow subjects who are themselves on the move?

5. Can you tell me some stories about your migrants and social pain

Alejandro Olayo-Méndez is currently reading for a DPhil in International Development at the University of Oxford. He is a Mexican national, who has lived and worked in the US for more than 10 years. Professionally, he counselled migrant families in Chicago; conducted research for the Jesuit Service to Migrants and the US Jesuit Conference in the Mexican Migration Corridor; and worked for Jesuit Refugee Services in Colombia and India.

Recently, Alejandro completed the MSc in Migration Studies at Oxford. He also holds a Master of Social Work from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Divinity (Theology) from Boston College. In addition to his academic degrees and professional experiences, Alejandro is a Jesuit Catholic priest.

Alejandro's research focuses on the interactions between transit migrants and humanitarian aid organizations along the Mexican migration corridor and the ways these interactions shape the migratory processes in the region. Other research interests include : [1] Transit migration, humanitarian aid, and human rights. [2] The impact that deportations of irregular migrants have on the economic and social development in places of origin and destination. [3] The relationship between experiences of migration and economic policies of destination countries.